1881.] 



on the Weather and Health of London, 



other hand, during the cold summer of 18G0, the diarrhoea mortality 

 for all ages did not in any week exceed 90. 



Of the British hirgo towns the lowest mortality from summer 

 diarrhoea is that of Aberdeen, which has the lowest summer tempera- 

 ture. The diarrhoea mortality of each town is found from year to year 

 to rise proportionally with the increase of temperature, but the rate of 

 increase differs widely in ditlerent towns, thus pointing to otlier 

 causes than mere weather, or the relative temperatures and humidities 

 of these towns, as determining the mortality. Fig. 11 shows the weekly 

 death-rate from diarrhoea for six of the largest British towns, viz. 

 Leicester, curve 1 ; Liverpool, 2 ; London, 3 ; Bristol, 4; Portsmoutb, 

 5 ; and Edinburgh, 6 ; from which it is seen that though the summer 

 temperature of London is higher than that of Liverpool and Leicester, 

 its diarrhoea mortality is very much less. In this respect London 

 contrasts very favourably with the great majority of British largo 



Fig. 11. 



Jan. Feb. March. April. May. Juno. July. 



Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec 



Weekly Deaths from Diarrhoea calculated on the Annual Mortality per 1000 of 



the population. 



towns showing its sanitary conditions generally arc at least fairly satis- 

 factory ; but inasmuch as it is somewhat in excess of a few of the 

 towns whose summer temperature is scarcely lower, London offers 

 problems in this field to the sanitary reformer for his solution. 



Figs 6 to 10 give the curves for thrush, tabes mescntenca, 

 enteritis*, jaimdice, and atrophy and debility, all of which have their 

 maximum fatality during the hottest period of the year, and all of these, 

 it will be noted, are bowel complaints. Indeed with the apparent 

 exception of one or two nervous diseases, all those diseases which 

 indicate an increase in their death-rate durmg the summer months 

 are bowel complaints. /t?;^ a\ 



An examination of the curve for the whole mortality (Fig. 4} 

 shows that the great preponderance of deaths in London takes place 

 durinc. the coldest months of the year. Of the diseases to which 

 this e°xccssivo mortality is due the fii-st place must be assigned to 



